CappuccinoandArtJournal

Mostly postal but art and other things of interest too.

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Let's Go to Japantown

Back--to--school shopping in Japantown. OK, I'm not going back to school but I still like the supplies.I snapped a few photos to show you.People often ask me what to see and where to go in San Francisco if you are artistically inclined...I highly suggest a visit to Japantown.

Washi tapeThere are two -- yes, two, "Japanese Dollar Shops" in J-town.This one is Ichiban Kan and they have some pretty fun washi tape and stationeryamong many other things.

Yes, the washi tape is only $1.50. Not the most wonderful designs but for $1.50 I can work with it....

Pencil casesThe other shop is Diaso. Much bigger. No washi tape there (that I've ever found) but they have just about everything else.Loads of pencil cases......

.....and stuff to put inside them....like these nice cutting tools. These are great for travel. I always have a stash to tuck into my mail art travel kit. And I like the colors too.

There are always lots of nice plastic cases to organize your stuff.....

Origami paper in loads of colors and patterns...and it's not just for making origami, is it?

Notebooks come in all sizes...

Put Double-stick tape from Diaso on your shopping list. This is the best tape around. I use it all the time. Super-sticky, big roll -- handy for all kinds of things. ($1.50)

Dots and labels..Did I mention almost every single thing at both Ichiban kan and Diaso are only$1.50???Yes, that's right...

Kinokuniya BookstoreDon't miss Kinokuniya. You may not be able to read the books that are in Japanese but you will marvel at the number of magazines they have. And there are books in English too.A great place to browse.

Mai DoDefinitely go to Mai Do for the best washi tape selection. Great stationery shop. Beautiful sheets of Japanese paper for bookbinding. A must-see shop.

Another nice thing about Japantown is there is all sorts of free and interesting paper ephemera to pick up. I use it to write letters on (the blank sides) and cut up for collage. The Japanese supermarket had stacks of terrific free magazines with Japanese recipes and food photos that are great.

Lunch is a must -- but you may not want this one since it's plastic. But there are loads of great spots to eat. Hand-made udon and ramen noodles, sushi.....

Or just pick up a box of fresh sushi at the supermarket and eat on a bench.....

Hope you enjoyed the little visit to J-town with me. Start packing your bags and making your shopping list. And go in the morning when the parking meters are25-cents and hours before noon. An unheard of bargain here in SF. The going rate is about $3 or $4 an hour at a meter.

I can put up some SF travel posts every once in a while if you are interested so let me know what you think?Shall we stick to mail art or do you want some travel tips too?

Now back to working on cleaning my studio and making mail art.(I've been posting lots of photos on the Facebook page)

Your blog header says '...other things of interest too.' so it's all good. I think I need to plan a visit except that I *so* don't need anything. But looking is free and udon sounds good. Great tour, thanks!

what about me sending you some money and you go shopping for me in Japantown!!!! Wow! Fun photos and anything you post that has to do with mail art and its varied avenues is fine with me...including lunch !!

I would LOVE to go to Japantown! :) I would definately spend sooooooooooooo much there on stationary products. :)In Quebec, Canada we don't have such wonderful places. Sigh! :( Hopefully I can make it out to your wonderful city someday! :) I'm up for anything you want to post, your blog is truly inspiring! :) Hugs, Jacqueline

Hey, that last comic pic has Marie's old iuoma profile pic there! Look, look! How bizarre! Fab blog, as usual, Pamela! Whether you know it or not, I think you'll be getting lots of visitors very soon...soooo very tempting!!!

A year belated here, but I just want to chime in to agree. If one is in SF, Japantown is a must for cool stuff! And also just for a fun few hours. I didn't know about Ichiban Kan or that really nifty looking stationary store, though… Hmmmm….! And I love Kinokuniya as well. It's a fantastic place to browse Japanese craft books, among other things. I've only been to a smaller Daiso in the suburbs, but even that was better than any American-style dollar store I've been to. I'm delighted to know someone else who enjoys these same things.

Well, Paper Chipmunk....I still refer folks to this post when they are planning a visit to Sf so the party is still on! Sounds like you are due to visit SF and check out those shops in J-town that are new to you! Thanks for stopping by the blog.